China’s animated blockbuster smashed box office records at home. Now it’s hitting Western cinemas
An unruly Chinese boy who battles dragons and defies destiny has made his way to Western cinema screens after smashing box office records in China. “Ne Zha 2,” an animated blockbuster loosely based on Chinese mythology, is now the world’s highest-grossing movie of all time in a single market, racking up a staggering $1.4 billion in ticket sales in China since its January 29 release. It dwarfs the previous record held by “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which netted $936 million in the United States and Canada in 2015. The Chinese production is also the first non-Hollywood film to break into the all-time global top 20 of highest-grossing films.
The White House bans the AP indefinitely over the use of ‘Gulf of Mexico’
The Trump White House said Friday that The Associated Press is banned from the Oval Office and Air Force One indefinitely. The AP, one of the world’s biggest news outlets, was singled out by the White House earlier this week over three words: “Gulf of Mexico.” President Donald Trump said last month that the US government would rename the body of water the “Gulf of America.” The change has taken effect at government agencies. But other countries do not recognize the new name, and the AP has customers around the world, so it still refers to the Gulf of Mexico while also acknowledging Trump’s decree.
CBS and several other Paramount channels set to go dark on YouTube TV
Several channels owned by Paramount Global, including CBS, Comedy Central and MTV, will soon disappear from YouTube TV on Thursday if the two companies don’t reach a contract renewal. YouTube TV, owned by Alphabet, told its customers that it’s “working hard to reach a fair agreement with Paramount that allows us to keep their channels,” but despite negotiations, it hasn’t “been successful yet.” The channels will go dark tonight if a deal isn’t reached.
Trump’s world is all happening on X
Elon Musk once bragged that his social network X “is by far the most interesting place on the Internets.” The company’s CEO Linda Yaccarino said “if it’s happening in the world — it’s happening on X.” More recently, the slogan “it’s all happening at X” has been commandeered by critics of the platform who say X is full of racist rhetoric, disinformation and other objectionable material. But for anyone who wants to know what’s happening with President Trump’s return to power, it’s true – it’s all happening on X.
US producer prices rise slightly above expectations in January
The producer price index for final demand rose 0.4% last month after an upwardly revised 0.5% gain in December, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the PPI rising 0.3%. In the 12 months through January, the PPI advanced 3.5% after increasing 3.3% in December. The report followed news on Wednesday that consumer prices accelerated by the most in nearly 1-1/2 years in January, dimming hopes that the U.S. central bank would resume cutting rates in June. Financial markets now expect a rate reduction in September, though some economists believe the window for further policy easing has closed, citing strong domestic demand and a stable labor market.
Man in yearslong battle to retrieve lost Bitcoin hard drive worth around $800 million offers to buy landfill
A man is raising the stakes in his years-long battle to get back a hard drive that contains a discarded bitcoin key worth somewhere around $800 million by offering to purchase a landfill in Great Britain in an effort to find the wallet before it closes down. James Howells has begged and pleaded with the Newport City Council, in South Wales, to gain access to the mountains of waste to find the hard drive that was accidentally thrown away in 2013, the New York Times reported.
Elon Musk says he'll drop $97B OpenAI purchase offer if ChatGPT maker stays a nonprofit
Elon Musk will withdraw his unsolicited bid of $97.4 billion to take over OpenAI if its board of directors stops the company’s conversion into a for-profit entity, a report said. The development reported by The Wall Street Journal comes after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman rejected Musk’s offer earlier this week, saying that the SpaceX and Tesla CEO is "probably just trying to slow us down" and that OpenAI – the maker of ChatGPT – is not for sale.
How to avoid a romance scam this Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is a time for love, but unfortunately, it’s also a prime opportunity for scammers looking to prey on hopeful romantics. Romance scams cost Americans some $1.14 billion in 2023 alone. If you’re out there looking for love – or even just a new connection – you need to be on high alert this Valentine’s Day. Scammers have gotten more sophisticated, but with the right knowledge, you can protect yourself and your finances from heartbreak.
Trump White House bars Associated Press reporter for a second day. AP signals legal action
Out with the oldspeak. In with President Trump’s newspeak — or else. That’s the apparent message as the Trump White House tries to punish a preeminent news outlet for its editorial decision-making. On Tuesday the White House broke with decades of precedent and blocked Associated Press reporters from attending two of President Trump’s media availabilities. The AP said it was blocked because it hasn’t changed its stylebook entry for Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America.”
Treasury Secretary Bessent offers Zelenskyy an economic investment deal
Edward Lawrence reported Zelenskyy would review the proposal and respond on Friday when he meets with Vice President JD Vance. President Donald Trump dispatched Vance and Bessent to the war-torn region in an effort to end the conflict with Russia. JD VANCE, TREASURY'S BESSENT TO MEET WITH UKRAINE PRESIDENT Hours after Bessent's meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump said he spoke to the Ukrainian president about peacemaking efforts in the region. He said that Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the delegation at Friday's meeting in Munich.